US broadband video consumption doubles

According to an ABI Research survey of online households in the US, the number of consumers watching video streamed through a browser has doubled over the past year, going from 32 per cent a year ago to 63 per cent today. ABI Research believes this is due to growth in the amount of rich content available in ad-supported format on portals and through social networks, as well as increasing demand from consumers for video in both short- and long-form online. "Consumers are changing their online habits quickly," says research director Michael Wolf. "Broadband speeds have continued to increase at the same time that Hollywood has decided online distribution is a legitimate monetisation opportunity that will increase total return on their video assets, and expand audiences. At the same time, easy to use content creation tools are being put into the hands of consumers and this has effectively created new forms of communication and entertainment." All forms of content are contributing to the rise of broadband video consumption, including that of long-form TV shows, and much of the longer-form content today is being watched by younger viewers. When asked if they watched long-form content in the form of TV shows or movies online, nearly half of those under 25, and 53 per cent of those aged 25-29 indicate they do so once a month or more. Older viewers are much more likely to have experimented once with online shows; three quarters of those over 65 who watch video online responded that they have never watched TV shows or movies online.